Are many people having range issues
Hi,
I have regular range issues with my system and am unable to add some new devices to some areas of my house as i can't find a spot for the internet bridge which will reach all areas. As advised, the bridge is mounted vertically. I get drop outs from some thermostats from time to time.
Do other people have range issues? I find it frustrating, as it would seem sensible that Tado created a mesh network between mains powered devices (as you see in Zigbee, Z-Wave and Thread). As I understand it Tado is in the Thread group and even uses 6oWPAN as an underlying protocol (which allows mesh).
I would even be happy to buy a plug in range extender if the thermostat and extension kit don't have the hardware to be a mesh network node.
Thanks
Comments
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I had range issues until I moved my TADO bridge upstairs, it seems to be able to reach all areas of the house now. I live in a bungalow that has been extended, so it is quite long, but has a loft conversion above part of the bungalow. I lose connection with the furthest out TRVs from time to time, but very rarely. I walk past the bridge a couple of times per week and always check it. I think my bridge is on the edge of the range. Been using the system since Feb 2019.2
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Asked the question about mesh and got a semi-positive response from their customer support. Posted in this thread: https://community.tado.com/en-gb/discussion/comment/7495/#Comment_7495
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I've added a "new feature" request for a range extender or mesh network here. If everyone who wants this votes for it, it might get more attention from Tado's development team. Thanks :)
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In answer to your q. @burntbridge - yes i do have range issues as well which can’t be resolved due to the layout of my home. I’ve voted for @SimonOldridge ’s new feature request and hope others will too.
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Yep, gave up and the Tado system only runs half of my home. Bizarre really, because you would expect that a system like this should be MORE useful if your home is larger, yet it is precisely those homes that can't be accommodated.
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As this is still an issue I’m investigating replacing with Nest.0
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DrBrush - "Yep, gave up and the Tado system only runs half of my home. Bizarre really, because you would expect that a system like this should be MORE useful if your home is larger, yet it is precisely those homes that can't be accommodated."
Yes, very bizarre. It's especially disappointing for a system where integration with TRVs is a headline feature, or at least it was for me. TRV integration was what swung me from Nest to Tado but no one is likely to have their TRVs all within a few metres of the gateway in even a fairly modestly sized home especially when many radiators are under windows on outside walls, or at least they are in the UK, so bedroom and living room radiators will be at the far extremes of most homes.
I only installed Tado a couple of hours ago and I had real trouble getting even the core gateway/receiver/sensor components on a my wireless kit to reliably communicate. The sensor/thermostat lost contact with the gateway at a distance of about 3.1 metres! I think I've improved things a bit by raising the gateway higher and I can probably go further with that (a job for tomorrow) but with so little margin for error I was really thinking that this isn't going to work out for me and that I need to box it all up again and return it to Amazon. I then thought that I might as well give a couple of the TRVs a try (I ordered 3 but ultimately I need 7). I installed my first TRV in my hallway only a couple of metres from the gateway and that was fine so then I installed a second one in my spare bedroom about 12 metres away from the gateway and with 3 brick walls in the way thinking I had no chance of it working but much to my surprise it did so for me the jury is still out on whether I keep this product or not.
A powered repeater device definitely seems to me to be the way to go. It would give me considerably more confidence in the system. If priced reasonably affordably (certainly no more expensive than a TRV) I would definitely add one or more of those as necessary to get solid connections so it would be an additional revenue opportunity for Tado.
Repeaters not withstanding it seems a bit odd to me that the internet gateway has such a tiny antenna. It's designed to plug into a router and most people's routers aren't exactly tiny little "blend into the background" devices and in many cases are tucked away out of sight so I don't see why the gateway needs to be so tiny when making it a bit bigger could allow for a better antenna.
Oh well, I'll see how I get on in the next few days and whether I can optimise the placement of the gateway further. I hope I can get this to work in my home because the TRVs are really nicely designed, better than anything else out there that I have found, and having my heating hooked into my Google Home voice stuff will be progress vs my 15 year old Honeywell wireless thermostat that I've just replaced.
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Yes, very annoying! They should make some changes or develop a wireless repeater or something else!
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I also have range issues. I have an annexe, and even with the IB in the loft, mounted vertically I have to choose either the radiator in the annexe or the room at the opposite side of the house. These are both within 15m of the IB, so it’s not exactly a mansion! I have tried moving the IB all over the place using a power line network adaptor, and the loft is the closest I’ve come to getting everything connected.
I have wired LAN in the annexe, so a second IB or wired extender would be extremely easy to install.
I have invested heavily in the system, with 9 Tado devices in total (TRVs, wireless temperature sensor, smart thermometer and extender). I even paid for the upgraded V3 app to help support development... Really feeling a bit let down by this limitation.1 -
I know it's solving one problem with another project but if you can envisage one place in your home that the bridge could reach all the TRVs/wireless thermostats but logistically having a router to plug in there is a problem a mesh wifi setup might be the solution.
I've got a basic Tenda MW3 setup with 4 nodes for wifi and after a few niggles with the bridge plugged it into a different node and moved that node a little too. Now all good.
Clearly a booster being available or a mesh of all the tado units would make more sense and be more flexible as well as making houses that will never work any other way actually work.
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@Ben_Highlands As an interim solution I have my bridge at the end of a powerline adapter - works fine.
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As a user who's also experiencing range issues, there's a lengthy and helpful thread on it here: https://tado.vanillacommunities.com/en-gb/discussion/559/radiator-thermostats-out-of-range
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